Rangers Beat Ikorodu City to Equal Enyimba’s 9th NPFL Title

*Defending champions Remo Stars, El Kanemi, others relegated

Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Enugu Rangers International FC against all odds beat Ikorodu City FC 2-1 yesterday to make history, equaling the all-time record of nine NPFL championships held by their Oriental  rivals, Enyimba.

Rangers finished the Nigerian topflight league on 68 points, one more than second-placed Rivers United while Shooting Stars that lost 1-0 to Niger Tornadoes finished on 60 points to pick the CAF Confederation Cup ticket.

Two goals in each half by Captain Chidiebere Nwobodo inside the Mobolaji Johnson Arena at Onikan on Lagos Island, secured the vital win for The Flying Antelopes. The victory rendered closest rivals Rivers United’s 3-0 defeat of Katsina United in Port Harcourt ineffective in their quests to upstage Rangers to the title.

Nwobodo lived up to the name of a legend of the club, Dominic Nwobodo, one of the best central defenders to ever don the colors of Rangers. Nwobodo set the stage for the victory dance when in the 30th minute fired the opener. Ikorodu fought back gamely but had no goal to show in the first half.

Nwobodo returned in the second half to add his second goal in the 52nd minute.

But six minutes later, Ikorodu City pulled back one through Moses Bada. That goal caused anxiety amongst Rangers fans. Ikorodu continued the pressing in search of the equalizer and a possible winner to earn ticket to play in the continental CAF Confederation Cup.

However, that was not to be as the Flying Antelopes held on to their lead till the final whistle. Both Rangers and Rivers United will represent Nigeria in the CAF Champions League.

Elsewhere, in the NPFL dog fight to avoid relegation, Kun Khalifat defeated Wikki Tourists 3-1 to stay in the topflight. Their fixture was delayed several hours due to heavy downpour in Owerri.

But it was not so for defending champions, Remo Stars who were held 1-1 by Bendel Insurance FC in Benin City to finish on 47 points and 17th on the log. Remo became the third champions of the Nigerian topflight league to be relegated to the lower division after Shooting Stars  (in 1999) and Bayelsa United in 2010. 

In Aba, Enyimba condemned El Kanemi to be relegated with 3-0 defeat.

Earlier, both Bayelsa United and Wikki Tourists had been condemned to the lower division even before the final fixtures.

RESULTS 

NPFL

Barau FC 3-0 Nasarawa

Bayelsa 4-0 Kwara Utd

B’Insurance 1-1 Remo Stars

Enyimba 3-0 El Kanemi

Ikorodu City 1-2 Rangers

Tornadoes 1-0 Shooting

Plateau 1-0 K’Pillars 

Rivers Utd 3-0 Katsina Utd

W’Wolves 2-1 Abia War

Kun Khalifat 3-1 Wikki

PREMIER LEAGUE 

Brighton 0-3 Man Utd

Burnley 1-1 Wolves

Cry’Palace 1-2 Arsenal

Fulham 2-0 Newcastle 

Liverpool 1-1 Brentford 

Man City 1-2 Aston Villa

Nottingham 1-1 Bournemouth 

Sunderland 2-1 Chelsea

Tottenham 1-0 Everton

West Ham 3-0 Leeds